Teacher Recruitment Queue Stretches Back to 2019

The government revealed that thousands of qualified teachers remain unemployed because recruitment follows the order of graduation, with the queue stretching back to 2019, iHarare reports. The Minister explained the policy in Parliament, defending the system as fair and transparent despite mounting frustration. However, the backlog has left many trained educators in limbo, exacerbating teacher shortages in schools while graduates languish without income. Critics argue the rigid queue ignores subject-specific needs and regional disparities, undermining education quality and forcing schools to hire unqualified staff. The standoff exposes a deeper public sector employment crisis, where fiscal constraints and bureaucratic inertia trap human capital in a waiting game with no end in sight, fueling brain drain and social unrest.